Women Do It Better- Femme Forces Changing The Cannabis Industry
When it comes to business, we’ve often found women do it better- and the cannabis industry is no exception.
With the full legalization of cannabis for recreational and medical use in 24 states and 15 more states for solely medical use, we’ve seen an influx of straight, middle-aged, white-dude owned dispensaries. And while the suburban moms and young urban hipsters flock in hoards to get their fix, many of us are left wondering if there’s a better way, a more ethical way, a more economical and intentional way to embrace the cannabis industry.
With a true sense of both style and sustainability, from excellently curated design to ethically sourced ingredients, each of these eight femme-owned cannabis businesses is leaving its mark on this industry, one flower at a time.
Josephine and Billie’s
Josephine and Billie’s is the first black, female-owned cannabis business in the country. Founder and CEO Whitney Beatty and COO Ebony Anderson built their business with a commitment to social equity, fighting to rewrite the narrative of marginalized people groups and the war on drugs.
Transforming strange fruit into blooming flowers, this brand, named after Billie Holiday and Josephine Baker, is dedicated to fighting injustice, encouraging women to live on their own terms, break down barriers, and open the doors for the women to follow after them.
Another thing we love about Josephine and Billie’s is how they’ve chosen to create a speakeasy experience for their customers versus the traditional in and out of today’s dispensaries. It’s a one-of-a-kind environment where customers can connect, learn at one of the brand’s educational events, and soon even be able to relax and enjoy their cannabis consumption onsite.
As if there wasn’t enough to love about this brand, they’re also committed to making cannabis affordable. While so many dispensaries gouge the hell out of their product, Beatty and Anderson saw it fit to make sure everyone has the access they deserve.
Kikoko is owned by Amanda Jones and Jennifer Chapin, women who are forces to be reckoned with and have a background of founding businesses/organizations to support girls and young women. Crystal clear in both their vision and values, these women outline their own way of doing business in the 6 unbreakable rules on their website. Just based on what they believe in and how they’re doing business differently makes us want to support them however we can.
And then there are the products!
Jones and Chopin have stated very clearly their commitment to sustainability by writing in bold letters on their website that they want to be the first cannabis company whose packaging does not add to any landfills. They’ve done their due diligence to make sure everything is compostable and environmentally friendly.
One of our favorite brags on Kikoko is their commitment to women and justice. They pay fair wages to women growers who focus on “cannabis raised using the cycle of the sun, moon, and stars.” They hire queer, femme, and women of color to create their artwork and give back by donating products to cancer patients and supporting the Last Prisoner Project which fights to free prisoners unjustly behind bars for non-violent cannabis charges.
Beyond the ethics, Kikoko just plain owns their marketing- like, slays the game. Their copywriting is excellent. They understand their femme audience and speak to them directly. Kikoko is transparent and crystal clear on their products by sharing openly their ingredients and lab test reports, as well as educating customers through videos— all critical pieces of marketing for today’s conscious consumer.
Here’s something we absolutely love about women. We will do whatever it takes to get shit done. We recognize it’s not always the new and flashy that gets us there, but oftentimes, going back to our roots leads us in the right direction. What Cyo Nystrom and Rachel Washtien of Quim knew was that tapping into plant-based care, like so many folks before them, would help solve some of the common issues for “humans with vaginas and humans without vaginas who love vaginas”.
Nystrom and Washtein are doing what many are not, talking about vaginas and sexual pleasure without the stigma. Where they saw a lack of good care products for vagina owners, they’ve created a line of “plant-based products that keep your quim happy and healthy.”
We also have to mention the absolute cleverness in product naming and design- making sure every inch of their packaging is the perfect representation of feminine sensuality.
Carolyn Chu founded Papers + Ink Studio to “build an entity that celebrates creativity, inclusivity through design, and to support the community.” She “noticed that there weren’t any high-quality, well-designed, and consciously produced rolling papers made in the United States that celebrate uniqueness” and was motivated to make a change.
Chu set out and created her brand with beautiful feminine rolling papers- made in America using sustainable manufacturing and unbleached organic hemp. Not only are her products sustainable, they are BEAUTIFUL, and have been featured by the likes of Goop, Vogue, and Merry Jane - to name a few. In addition to the core collection of papers, Carolyn is always furthering connections and artistry in the industry through her one-of-a-kind collabs with other artists and makers.
What she has masterfully done is pay attention to the intersection of the environment, artistry, manufacturing, and her consumer, to create a product that is truly worth investing in.
Just the Tip
Here’s what we love about this brand. Like many femme forces before, Mary Latreece saw a problem and decided to fix it. After going to countless music festivals and seeing people pass joints on the regular, all she could think about was the germ factor- ewww. So she did something about it.
Mary went to work creating a reusable, glass tip that is held on a necklace. Stylish and even more importantly, getting rid of the germs, she created this product with the intention to make things easier for everyday communal and individual consumption.
As a woman of color and a mom, Latreece continues to break down the stigma of cannabis and normalize its regular use - all while inventing a product that stands out for its style, usability, and clever product design. It’s products like this that prove that women know what’s up and have the ability to come up with new innovations to capture and create whole new revenue categories in this industry.
Polite is a women and minority-owned business co-founded by Mary Brown, M Ed, and Sue Tan that is committed to safe, effective, and affordable cannabinoid products. We love the clean and clear way they present their products and the breadth of experience in their founding leadership team. Clearly, they are a company that values diversity of thought as well as backgrounds, as their team includes professionals with backgrounds in integrative medicine and research, cannabinoid therapy/education/advocacy, cannabis processing, and user-centered design. The combination pays off in the form of an incredibly curated line of products aligned with an intentional cannabis consumer that values both quality and education.
The design of Polite’s products stood out to us because it so clearly reflects their brand message to “stay compassionate and human in the face of struggles and to empower people to feel better, be better, and treat each other better.” The colors and typeface they chose give way to feeling at peace- it’s simple and discreet, not flashy and in your face. Oftentimes when people are trying to be better- these feelings take precedence over others. Unlike the onslaught of bro-branding that feels omnipresent in this industry, Polite’s packaging is as professional as their team, making it a product that feels accessible to all.
Hapsy
Founded and based in Atlanta, GA, Andrea Wightwick encourages users of her product to a state of “Hapsiness” or “the state of contentment regardless of life’s blunders.” She’s focused on her consumers embracing the “power of pause” and taking small moments to enjoy life.
Beyond the mindset, Wightwick is committed to sourcing local and complete transparency in its products, having reports readily available on the website.
What we’ve found, especially as women business builders and mothers, is that oftentimes it can be really hard to take the pause in our daily lives. Our nervous systems are often in a state of overdrive, playing taxi drivers for our tiny humans and taking client calls in between. The Hapsy brand encourages the slow down- and at Fearless, we’re all about the anti-hustle, which is why we love this brand so much. Take us to the Hapsiness place and keep us there!
Barbari
We have to start by saying we’re obsessed with the names and the design of these products. The packaging alone has us lining up to purchase, as it speaks to the beautiful femininity of the brand. The colors and graphics are peaceful and elevated, just like the experience Babari hopes to curate when using their product.
When Merly Montgomery and Valarie Sakota created this brand, they focused on a locally grown, sustainable flower with clean, quality ingredients that are regularly tested. Their greater purpose, though, is to “use business as a tool to solve some of today’s most pressing problems: social inequality within the cannabis industry, social injustices against the BIPOC and LQBTQIA+ communities, and global warming. They strive to be both models of this type of business and join forces with other like-minded companies to create a coalition and network working towards a greater good.”
That mission is the kind we here at Fearless Foundry exist to amplify, and we are so thrilled to see women in this industry using their brands as a way to elevate awareness around issues of injustice, give back to their communities, and collaborate with others to create even deeper impact.
We are celebrating the fact that these brands all play a part in a vital trend that we are beginning to see with many of the femme-owned cannabis brands we follow. Unlike their “white dude” counterparts, more and more women are using cannabis for good (helping to solve problems of injustice and inequity) and not just for gain (profit, profit, profit).
While we were only able to HIGHlight 8 femme forces in this article, there are SO many other amazing brands using their products and platforms for good. We are proud to call some of these Friends of the Foundry and hope to call in even more to our community so we can grow and cultivate change together. It is an honor to walk among such inspired and impact-oriented founders at this time in our world.
Are you a femme brand in the cannabis industry and looking for some additional support with furthering your mission? The Fearless Foundry team is here to help you. Whether you’re looking for support with your branding, marketing, operations, or business strategies–we’re the type of team that shares your vision and values and wants to see you shine.
If you're in need of some extra support, hit us up! We’d love to walk with you on this journey with you.